Improvement in eccentric-piston engines



' 2 shee ts -sheet 1 I C. C. KLEIN. Eccentric 'Pis-toh-Engines.

N ,155,160, Patented Se pt.2 2,1874.

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UNITED STATES PATENT QFFICE.

CHARLES o. KLEIN, or PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA.

IMPROVEMENT IN ECCENTRlC-PISTON ENGINES.

pecification forming part of Letters Patent No. 155,160, dated September22, 1874; application filed March 10, 1874. Y

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, GHARLEs C. KLEIN,

certain new and useful Improvements in Ec centric-Piston Engines, ofwhich the following is a specification, reference being had to theaccompanying drawings, in which Figures 1, 2, 3, and 4 are transversesections, illustrating the invention under various modifications. Fig. 5is a longitudinal section of the duplex form of engine shown in Fig. 4.

My invention consists, first, in the combination of two concentriccylinders and an eccentric cylinder mounted on a center adjustablerelatively to the said concentric cylinders, as hereinafter described;second, in the combination of two opposing adjustable plates or flangesfor the attachment and adjustment of two concentric cylinders, ashereinafter described, to form a duplex engine; third, in a novelconstruction of guide to control the movement of the concentric cylinderrelatively to the concentric rims or cylinders within which it works.

The engine consists of five essential parts: First, an outer cylinder,d,- second, an inner cylinder, to, placed concentric with the first;third, an eccentric abutment-ring, cl; fourth, a piston, e,- and, fifth,an adjustable bearing, 1", for the eccentric ring, which is capable ofadjustment from and toward the center of the concentric cylinders.

There are four different modifications which may be made in thearrangement of the parts, and with each modification two distinctmotions may be produced precisely in the same way as in a reciprocatingengine, where the cylinder may stand still while the piston moves, andthe piston may stand still while the cylinder moves. In the first-casethe cylinder-heads are the abutment, but in the second case the. pistonbecomes the abutment and the cylinder-heads the pistons.

In the following description, however, I will call the partition placedacross the annular space between the two concentric cylinders thepiston, whether the same be movable or stationary.

The following are the modifications:

In Fig. 1, the piston c is rigidly attached to inner cylinder a, andeccentric bearing a" is adjustable on head of outer cylinder d. In thisexample the inner cylinder at and eccentric ring 61 may'revolve upontheir respective centers, and the outer cylinder d and eccentric hearingmay stand still, or vice versa.

In Fig. 2, the piston e is rigidly attached to outer cylinder (1, andeccentric bearing 1' is adjustable on inner cylinder (1.. In this example the outer cylinder cl and eccentric ring (1 may revolve upon theirrespective centers,- and the inner cylinder and eccentric hearing maystand still, or vice versa.

In Fig. 3, both concentric cylinders are rigidly fastened to each other,and the eccentric bearing is attached to them. The piston traverses theannular space between a and cl. In this example the piston may traversethe annular space, While the eccentric ring revolves upon its center,and the two concentric rings may stand still, or vice versa.

In Fig. 4, the two concentric cylinders a and d are rigidly attached toeach other, and the piston e is set rigidly across the annular spacebetween them, and the adjustable hearing or axis of the eccentriccylinder is attached to the axis of the concentric cylinders. In thisexample the adjustable bearing of the eccentric cylinder (in this case acrank-pin) may revolve around the axis of the concentric cylinders, andthe latter stand still, or vice versa.

In Figs. 1, 2,-and 3, two of the five essential parts have to move,While, at the same time, only one of them transmits the useful effect ofthe steam. The total pressure upon the other moving part produces onlyfriction. Take, for instance, Fig. 1, in which the piston e is fastenedto the cylinder to, the eccentric ring 01 revolving upon the adjustablebearing 7'. That pressure of the steam only which acts upon the piston 0produces useful effect, while the far greater total pressure upon thesurface of the cylinder a and eccentric ring d produces an enormousfriction upon central bearing of the cylinder at and upon the eccentricbearing.

For the purpose of overcoming these difficulties I have constructed theengine shown in Fig. 4, in which the eccentric ring only revolves, not,however, upon its own center, but its axis revolves in a circle around.the axis of the cylinders a and d. Although this seems, at first sight,to be a departure from the original principle of the engine, it, infact, is not, as the center of the eccentric ringd, whichin this case isa crank-pin, 0, takes the place of the adjustable bearing 4, and, likethis, must be made adjustable in a line drawn from the center of a and dto the center of (1, so that the inner surface of d can be kept incontact with a, and the outer surface of d in contact with d.

It will now be evident that, as the two abutments thus formed are alwaysin a straight line drawn through centers of a and d, it follows that thepressure upon the surface of the eccentric cylinder must always act uponthe crank-pin at right angles with the radial line of the crank. I

By this means perfect uniformity in the power of the engine is gained,and dead-centers are entirely avoided. If, however, the steam wereadmitted simply to the exterior of the eccentric cylinder d, little morethan onehalf of the annular space between a and 01 would be utilized,and, moreover, a deadpoint would be produced once in eachrevolution-namely, when the crank attains its upper vertical position.

In order to avoid this, I put the ports 0 0, into such a position,and'make them of such size, that the steam will have access to theexterior and interior of the eccentric cylinder (1, and yet that thereshall always be one of the abutments interposed to prevent the steamfrom flowing from induction-port 0 to the eduction-port 0 withoutproducing any effect. To effect this I make the pi'stone (which, in thiscase, acts simply as an abutment) as thin, and place the ports as closetogether, as is consistent with strength, taking care that neither portshall quite touch the inner or outer circular surface of the annularspace. 7

As mentioned previously, the cylinder d, Fig. 4, does not revolve uponits own center, except incidentally, because the piston 6, passingthrough its periphery, prevents it, and only a sliding motion of thering d upon the piston 6 takes place; but I prefer to remove thissliding motion to the exterior of the steam-chambers, where I am enabledto extend the wearin g surface and control lubrication.

For this purpose I provide a guide, K, in which the box m slides.Through the box passes the pin a, fastened into the flange of plate l,to which the ring d is attached. I prefer to place this pin somewhatfarther from the center of d than the external radius of d, so that theeccentric ring (1 will have a slight rubbing motion upon the inner andouter cylinders a and cl at each side of the piston 6, so that theamount of wear at these points will approach nearer to that upon pointsdirectly opposite. By this means uniformity of wear is insured.. Theslit in the ring d, through which the piston passes, has to be wideenough to permit this motion. From the above .it will appear that theadjustability of the crank pin 'r-or, in other words, the means ofvarying the distance be tween the center of a and d and the center ofd",- which maybe efi'ected by set-screws t u or springs-is all that isnecessary to keep the engine tight in a radial direction.Longitudinally,,t h e apparatus is kept tightbythe following,"namely:The eccentric ring at is provided with a flange or plate, I, Fig. 5,which touches the rims a and d of the cylinders a and 01, while the edgeof the eccentric ring 01 touches the bottom of the annular space betweena and d, and by pressing the flange ltoward the rims a and d,by means ofscrews 10, wedges q, helices, or other suitable means, the leakage whichwear would cause is prevented; but it will be observed that if the adjusting devices, or part of them, were stationary, and the flange Z didrevolve against them, the whole pressure against the interior of theflange wouldbe thrown upon these rubbing surfaces, causing greatfriction.

To prevent this I employ two engines, placed in such arposition that theflanges L on -the 7 rings 01 shall come directly opposite each other,

placing the adjusting devices between them. By this means the pressureinone cylinder balances that in the other, and as both rings are causedto revolve together thesteam-s'pace and exhaust-spaces in one cylinderor annular space will always be directly opposite those in the othercylinder or annular space, so that always a perfect balance ismaintained, and no friction from steam-pressure results.

The effect of both eccentric rings may be concentrated upon one commonhearing or pin, 1', and shaft 8, or separate cranks and separate shaftsmay be used for each eccentric ring.

Any of the self-acting adjusting devices described in my patent forrotary engine granted 16th December, 1873, may be applied to this.

The following is claimed as new:

1. In combination with the cylinder cl and flange l, the adjustable pin1', placed in the center of the cylinder 61, and revolving around thecenter 8 of the concentric cylinders a. d, substantially as and for thepurpose set forth.

2. The combination of the opposing adjustable plates or flanges Z l withattached cylinders d d and the cylinder d, substantially as set forth.

3. The combination of the guide K, box m, and pin with the connectedplate or flange L and cylinder cl, for'the purpose set forth.

CHAS. O. KLEIN.

Witnesses:

GHAs. E. PANCOAST, D. H. STONE.

